Update 20th October 2024, 9.50pm AEDT: Unfortunately, I wrote the article below in a hurry this morning (Sydney time), so the reporting of the facts has lacked precision. Instead of saying that “the City of Angels ICC has left the ICC movement” (which may be true), I should have said that various senior leaders within the ICC have broken fellowship with the ICC and initiated a new offshoot movement. The article below has been rectified. My apologies!

In a devastating blow to the ICC movement following the forced retirement of founder Kip McKean, 62 senior ICC leaders (including Lead Evangelist Jason Dimitry of the Los Angeles-based City of Angels International Christian Church) have formally announced through an open letter that they will leave the ICC due to the ongoing sinfulness and incompetency of its World Sector Leadership. Particular attention was also given to the accusation of world leaders John and Emma Causey for their financial mismanagement, exploitation of church members and false teaching.

The letter begins with the following:

Dear Raul, Lynda, the ICC World Sector Leaders (WSLs), and all disciples in the ICC,

We write this letter with great sorrow as we reflect on the longstanding and current state of our beloved fellowship. Many of us have spoken to our central leadership over the years, particularly in the past six months, expressing our deep concerns regarding the collective state and direction of the International Christian Churches (ICC). Despite years of persecution, ineffective leadership, minimal growth, and setbacks—including the recent departure of the McKeans—we have collectively held onto the dream of evangelizing the world through the unified efforts of the ICC. However, our biblical conviction is that the direction of our Movement, determined by our central leadership’s words, teachings, actions, and/or inactions, has fatally strayed from Scripture. (The central leadership group referred to in this letter includes the World Sector Leaders: Michael and Michele Williamson, Matt and Helen Sullivan, Joe and Kerry Willis, John and Emma Causey, Tim and Lianne Kernan, Cory and Jeraldine Blackwell; Movement Shepherds: Tony and Therese Untalan, Michael and Sharon Kirchner, and Nick and Denise Bordieri; as well as Movement leaders: Raul and Lynda Moreno.) As a result, our confidence that the ICC churches will truly restore the Book of Acts in our generation has completely eroded. In this letter, we detail the series of events that led us to this point, and our attempts to bring about the reform we believe God expects.

Citation: https://faiththefacts.com/

The open letter, which can be found at the new FaithTheFacts.com website and also as a PDF here, offers a fascinating insight into the disappointments and failings that was happening within the closed walls of the ICC long before the stepping down of the McKeans. It was signed by over 60 ICC leaders, including Jason Dimitry, Kyle Bartholomew, Fernando Chavez, and Evan Bartholomew, who will head up a splinter movement called the Restored Church Worldwide.

However, the letter also offers a possibility of a restored fellowship with the ICC should they conduct a radical institutional reform. The letter concludes with these words:

Though we have decided to leave the ICC, we remain open to reuniting if real, meaningful, and immediate reforms are made. These reforms would include:

1) A total overhaul of our leadership hierarchy, starting at the top. Unqualified, unrepentant, or ineffective leaders need to be replaced by those who have demonstrated an ability to do God’s work and have been faithful to their charge. Additionally, our central leadership group must return to the Bible as the final governing authority rather than relying on its consensus.

2) Restoring the Church in the Bible through careful adherence to God’s Word and a radical willingness to obey it. We must eliminate unbiblical practices, such as excessively long conversion cycles that are not found in Scripture, along with extensive unbiblical requirements for baptism or restoration that have been unnecessarily added to New Testament conversion.

3) Commitment to the truth and a spirit of full transparency. There must be an immediate investigation into the use of corruption, blackmail, and extortion mentioned in this letter, and there must be a future willingness to investigate corruption regardless of title or position.

4) A return to a “sold-out” base of disciples. There must be an immediate end to systematic whitewashing practices, such as failing to report fall-aways, recording someone as present at church services when they are actually taking communion at home, or allowing virtual memberships instead of calling people to move.

If the ICC Central Leadership is willing to adhere to these terms of restoration, the WSLs may schedule a meeting with our collective leadership group: Jason Dimitry, Kyle Bartholomew, Fernando Chavez, and Evan Bartholomew. Otherwise, we will focus on forcefully advancing our family of churches.

More analysis will be written about this shortly!

In the meantime, why not share your thoughts with us?